by Tiya Rayne
“I’ve never had my own jewelry before.” That wasn’t hard to believe. She picks up the butterfly pendant and swirls it between her thumb and pointer finger looking down at it.
“Wear it all the time. It will remind you of Me.” she flashes those dimples at me then clutches her arms around my neck for a hug. I place my hand on her back and gave her as much of a hug as I know how. Affection was not something I am used to. Fucking, I could do with my eyes closed but hugging was like a foreign language to me. She pulls away from me and leans back on her knees.
“You know, you remind me of my cousin Roy.” I laugh out and it sounds foreign to my ears. It is one of those emotions I never use. This little girl is pushing me to all my limits tonight.
“How is that?” I’m curious to know how I could remind her of her human family. By nature Elves are taller and paler skinned than humans, not to mention the pointed ears, long hair and crystalline eye color.
“Well you’re both about the same age.” Funny, I’m actually a few centuries old; however I stopped ageing long ago. “About 20 right?” I was shocked at how close she was. I was around 25 or 26 that I last remember changing.
“You are very close.” I smile.
“Yeah, I thought so. Billy’s 18, but he will be 19 next month. He’s really nice to me too, always giving me candy and inviting me to tag along on his days off. He’s always introducing me to his lady friends. Mama says it’s because Billy’s at that age where his manhood and his brain is one in the same. Something like a bitch in heat, whatever that means. She says that he uses me to impress his lady friends. I don’t mind much, Billy needs all the help he can get with that bad skin and all. Are you like a bitch in heat mister?” I throw my head back and laugh, this time it comes out natural.
“I like to think I am not.” Even though deep down, I know her mother has me pegged. There have been many women to grace my bed, nymphs, fairies, even a few immortals. None of them stay long after. They all want something from me I cannot give. Love and commitment are not my strong points. Love is not an option in my line of work. Only death and loneliness follow me. So yes, I can please a lady in my bed, multiple times in fact, but that is all I’ll ever be able to give her. I good hard fuck is as good as anything sometimes. Most women only want that, and those are the only women I like to deal with.
“Assassin, the council needs you.” The Queen’s voice calls for me once more. I sigh. It was time for me to go. I stand up and tuck my picture into the inside pocket of my vest.
“Are you leaving?” she asks and the sadness in her voice is obvious. Something about the sadness in her eyes does something strange to me, I feel a strange prickle feeling at the back of my throat and my eyesight begins to blur as if I am looking through water. I have to clear my throat before I am able to speak. I’ve never felt this emotion before and the feeling makes me uncomfortable.
“Yes, little human, it is time for me to go. I would like to thank you and Bo for saving me.” I say sincerely, giving her a regal bow. She giggles at my gesture and the sound of her laughter makes the strange prickle feeling recede. Lilly stands to her feet.
“Well, I better get going too.” She says dusting her knees off. “Billy Ray will be getting home from the bar soon and he’s gone want his cup. I gotta get out of dodge.” She slings her book bag over one shoulder and her shot gun over the other. I place my hand on her shoulder. I feel terrible about what I am about to do, but I don’t think twice about it. I know that the penalty of altering the lives of humans is a punishable crime, but I know that she needs to stay close to her mother. Besides, no one has to know. I pull my power to my hand and then place it on her cheek.
“Little Lilly you have a kind heart, never change it. Now, I want you to go back home and forget this night ever happened. And please, never try anything so dangerous again. Ok?” her bright eyes dim as I control her mind.
“OK!” she mumbles automatically.
“Now sleep, little one. This will be all better in the morning.” With that suggestion her eyes close and she slumps forward in my arms.
Chapter Two
Tracing back to the Locke revitalizes my body even more. I stand in the corridor of King Bartus’s castle and stretch my limbs. I didn’t come back right away, after I put Lilly to bed; I made a stop at the local bar and spoke very freely to Billy Ray. After almost breaking his arm and threatening that if he ever so much as said a word to her that made her cry, I would take his un-useful balls and shove them down his throat, we seemed to come to an agreement. The agreement was clearly understood when he arrived home and realized Lilly had broken his cup, he didn’t even look at her. The Elf Queen would say there will be ramifications for my actions, but I don’t see how keeping a little girl from being pounded on by her asshole step-father can have a negative impact on the world. The fact that I, the emotionless assassin as I’m so often called, would care enough to interfere in any one’s life without payment was already a change for the better. Not that I planned on keeping up this sensitive bullshit. This was just a one-time thing. I still had my rules, no attachments and no involvement. Nothing was changing about me.
I’m feeling cheerful as I walk towards King Bartus’s throne room.
“Where is he?” I hear a voice bellow down the hall. Immediately I trace into the room but remain invisible, a gift only my kind is capable of. Artumis, the Western Immortal king is pacing the floor, his bushy red hair sticking out like a valley of wild grass on top of his head.
The Locke is broken up into four territories, the Northern which is where the Dark King rule, is the biggest area of our world; therefore who ever controls this land controls the Locke. The Western territory is mostly coastal land, and its people are masters of the sea. Their king is Artumis. A short grouchy man who’s face looks like old leather.
“Please, Artumis, sit.” The Elvin Queen states calmly although the creases around her mouth tells me she is far from calm.
“How can I sit? The Assassin treats us as if he is the King of the Locke.”
“If the Assassin has not come back, it is because he cannot. Though he is a murderer, he is loyal to the Queen.” Bartus says. Bartus was the Immortal King of the Southern territories, the second largest in the Locke. It is also the one The Dark King covets the most. The true heir to the Northern throne is Bartus, which is all the more reason for the Dark King to despise him. Bartus is accompanied by his son Rykan. He is tall, just like most Southern people and fairly well built. The two look a lot alike with their dark hair and dark eyes. The Southern men are fighters. They have the greatest army in the Locke and their men are skilled fighters, even I can’t deny that.
“Or, maybe he does not wish to.” Fisgal, the Eastern king adds. Fisgal, the darkest skinned of all the kings with his long locks of black hair, was also the most intelligent of the kings. His people are scholars and builders; his land is surrounded by plush jungles and his people live in intricately built homes far up in the trees. The craftsmanship of these astounding homes are unrivaled by any other structures in the Locke. The only thing Fisgal liked more than knowledge was women. He had an insatiable appetite for females.
Immortals resembled humans in build and look however their life spans are almost as long as ours. The only magic immortals possess is longevity and the ability to heal. The kings are gifted with a powerful ring given to them by the elf Queen. However, even with rings their magic is still nowhere close to the elves.
“Assassin will come.” The Queen states confidently.
“Ugh! We should never have included him in the council.” Artumis barks, slamming his fist down on the wooden table. “I do not trust a man that prides himself on death.”
“Careful, Artumis, I would begin to think you don’t like me.” I state becoming visible in the doorway. The entire room turns to look at me. I lean my back up against the door frame and cross my arms over my chest. I see the fear cross their eyes. I am known to be unstable and easily angered. Not a reputation I care to
dispute.
“Funny that you don’t trust me, Artumis, was it not you that begged me to save your son from the ogres. If not for me he would be making his way out of an ogre’s ass right now.”
“I do not have a son you son of a bitch. That was my daughter.”
I tap my finger on my chin as I look at him quizzically. “Are you sure that was not your son?” Artimus leaps across the table for me. Fisgal grabs him and holds him back. I never even flinch. I would give anything to knock that fat slob down a peg. He, like most of the immortals, thinks this land belongs to them.
“My daughter is beautiful. She has her Mother’s looks.” Artimus continues to shout across the table as Fisgal pushes him back down in his seat.
“Yes, Artimus, your daughter is beautiful.” The Queen says giving me a pointed look. “Assassin, behave.” I shrug my shoulders already bored with this conversation.
“Are you well?” The Queen asks me telepathically.
“Did you doubt me, your highness?” I ask jokingly. If she only knew how close I was to death.
“I never doubt you, Assassin.”
“Your Majesty,” Bartus says bringing us out of our silent conversation. “Why did you call us here?” The queen steps forward, her long silver dress dragging the floor, the bodice hugging her body like a lover pushing her breast up like a sacrificial offer. The skirt of the long dress flares out at her hips and drops to the floor. She is a beautiful woman, with hair the color of snow that hangs down to her waist in deep waves. Even though she is beautiful and feminine her presence still garners your respect. Although her kingdom is in the middle of the Immortal kings, her reign stretches to all regions of the Locke. The queen controls the magic creatures in this land, a feat not for the timid of heart. Even the Immortal Kings bow down to her and show her the upmost respect. When Queen Avalia speaks, you damn well listen.
“I have had a vision of our future.” This news holds all of our attention. Even I stand up a little straighter.
“As always, my vision came in two parts. In one; I saw the Locke in a time of peace. The fields were green. The crops were abundant. Our people happy and carefree, their children safe and tummies well fed. Famine and war were a distant memory. We lived in harmony, and I saw this peace last many lifetimes.” I was trained to kill since the time I could hold a weapon, killing is all I know. I’m trained to fight with every weapon known to man. My man to man combat skills are unbeatable. I breathe to fight. That is why I am so shocked to find this news pleased me. What will I do when there is no one else to kill? Instinctively my hand went to the picture in my pocket. Could one run in with a little girl change my entire perspective on life? The better question is, why?
“In the other,” Avalia starts bringing me from my reflections. “I saw our deaths. I saw the time of the Dark King reigning supreme over the Locke for many more years.” The collective gasp fills the air; even I did not want this future.
“So which one will come to past?” Fisgal asks.
“It all depends on the chosen.”
“Who?” Artumis questions.
“In both my dreams, there is a young woman. In her womb lie twin kings. Those kings will rule our world. Her decision will determine if they rule under my first vision or under my second.”
“I do not understand.” Bartus says.
“One decision will save our world or ruin it.”
“And this woman will make that decision?” Artimus ask. Avalia nods. “Then let us kill the woman now. I shall not have a female dictating my life.”
Avalia rolls her eyes. “You cannot. She determines our fate. She is the only way we can end this war against the Dark king and take our lives back.”
“That is if she makes the right decision.”Rykan, who is usually silent during these meetings, add.
“Yes, but it is in those odds I would rather live, than in the odds of our survival right now.”
“So what now?” I ask pushing away from the door. “What do we do? How will we protect this woman and our future Kings?” Avalia’s eyes lock on me and in that brief moment I know she is holding something back. She’s not telling us everything. I reach into her mind to see what it she is hiding and immediately reach a wall. She has never guarded her mind from me before. I push on the wall and suddenly feel a massive mental shove that almost pushes me physically. Avalia has pushed me out of her head, another first. What was she hiding? And, why was she hiding it from me?
“We must find the chosen. My vision tells me, she will come to us with her belly already full of the future kings. We must protect her, and the great gods be with us, we must persuade her.”
“Does your vision tell us who fathered these future rulers?” Bartus asks. Typical immortal, always concerned about their lineage and who will take the throne.
“It does not, only that they will be mighty warriors, greater even than the great O’Rydin.” Now even I am impressed. We have not had a ruler like O’Rydin in many centuries. His reign was before my time but legend tells of his heroics during the Great War. The Locke has never flourished as much as it did during his time as king.
“How are we to find this chosen if you do not even know what she looks like? Seems like a wild goose chase to me.”Artimus adds, always confrontational. His tone irks me. Did he dare question my queen? I pull a dagger from the sheath inside my vest. I’ve been itching to kill someone since I left Billy Ray, no reason not to take my anger out on Artimus. The Queen held up her hand to stop me.
“I sense her presence; I will know her when I see her. For now we will be patient and diligent. Any woman in the land that is with child shall be seen by me. We will find her. Prepare yourselves, gentlemen; I see an end to the Dark Kings rule.” The queen waves her hand through the air and a chalice appears before us.
“To the chosen.” Avalia quotes raising her glass.
“To the twin Kings.” Artimus adds lifting up his chalice.
“To our future.” supplies Bartus.
“Aye!” we all agree in unison then drink to our toast
Chapter Three
Present time
“Night, Lilly.”
“Night, Paulie.” I say slipping my keys out of my purse. “See ya Monday.” I walk out of the diner smelling like smoke and frying grease, which seems to be my natural fragrance now. I head to my beat-up Camry in the parking lot with its one hub cap and faded blue paint. It is after midnight and the parking lot is practically empty except for the few night shift people and one or two customers. It is late fall and the wind is blowing sending a shiver through my body. I pull my cardigan together to block the cold on my arms. I once asked Paulie if we could wear pants under our uniforms, he said it wouldn’t go with the theme of the diner. Placing a jukebox in the corner and adding some Elvis posters didn’t make a theme. I think Paulie just enjoys seeing us in these 1950 pink and white striped diner uniforms. They are too short for my comfort and I tend to wear shorts under my dress. It’s nothing worse than bending over to pick up a straw and showing the whole world your business. My friend Alice enjoys doing just that, says she gets bigger tips that way.
“Did you get that guys number?” Alice asks coming up behind me. I turn my head and look down at my feet.
“Damn it, Lilly! I had this guy lined up for you.”
“I know, but he kept referring to his self in third person. Michael like Lilly. Michael like coffee.” I say imitating his voice.
Alice laughs. “Eeew! The cute ones are always crazy.” We stop at the front of my car and Alice turns to me.
“So, have you thought anymore about what I said?”
“Well, I talked to Mama.” Alice sighs. Alice has been saving up her money, from the time she started working, in order to move to New York to be a model. She now has enough money saved to get an apartment and start her dream. She’s dying for me to move with her.
“Mama thinks that’s too far to go. She says she will be lonely.”
“Your Mama has Billy Ray for that.
” I roll my eyes at Alice and cross my arms over my chest. I am not interested in hearing what my Mama and Billy Ray does. That man has never said more than five words to me since I was a child. It’s like one minute he was cussing me out and beating the ever loving crap out of me, and then the next he was avoiding me like the plague. Although I much rather preferred the latter.
“Honey, I know leaving your mama is scary, but you can’t live your life in a safe little bubble. Life is about taking risk and trying new things. For goodness sakes you’re about to be a twenty-one year old virgin, you’re like an endangered species.”
“I know.” I say rolling my eyes.
“Look, I’m not trying to make you do something crazy. I’m just trying to get you out of your comfort zone. There is more to life than working at this diner and taking your mama to bingo on the weekends.”
“I do other things. Just last weekend I went to the new mega mall and bought me some new panties and bra’s from Victoria Secret.
“Wow! Calm down there girl, don’t want to have to call the fun police.” Alice says with fake excitement. “Look, I just think that if you’re ever going to travel the world and take photos you gotta get out of the house. If you don’t you will be doing weddings and birthdays for the rest of your life.” Alice places her hands on both of my shoulders and looks me in the eye.
“Lilly, you’re beautiful, smart, funny as hell, and the most honest and kindest person I know. You of all people deserve to get out of this backwards ass town.” I wasn’t always like this. Uncle Buddy says when I was a little girl I was always getting into things. He says it drove him and Mama crazy worrying over me. Then, one day I woke up and I wasn’t so careless anymore. He says he was glad, but I think he missed the old me a little. I twirl the butterfly pendant on my necklace between my fingers and smile. Alice let her hands fall away from my shoulders and back to her sides.
